DEEP SEA FLOOR PENETRATOR FOR GEOPHONES

AVAILABLE DATA INDICATES THAT PLACING GEOPHONE SENSORS 30-100 METERS IN THE SEABED PROVIDES SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO, TO RECOVER LOST DETECTION RANGE AGAINST QUIETER SUBMARINES. A NEED EXISTS FOR A SEABED PENETRATING SENSOR SYSTEM OPERATING AT LOW FREQUENCIES, CAPABLE OF ON-BOARD SIGNAL PROCESSING AND ABLE TO TRANSMIT ACOUSTIC DETECTION INFORMATION TO THE SURFACE IN REAL OR NEAR REAL TIME. DEFENSE SYSTEMS, INC. (DSI) SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED ON DARPA CONTRACT A KINETIC ENERGY PENETRATOR TO PIERCE THROUGH 10 FEET OF POLAR ICE AND DEPOSIT A HYDROPHONE ARRAY, SIGNAL PROCESSOR AND RF TRANSMITTER SYSTEM THAT SURVIVED THE SHOCK OF IMPACT. DSI ALSO DESIGNED AND BUILT THE GEOBUOY, AN A-SIZE, AIR-DROPPED PARTIALLY PENETRATING GEOPHONE PROBE CONTAINING SIGNAL PROCESSOR AND TRANSMITTER. DSI DETERMINED THAT THE SAME TYPE OF KINETIC ENERGY PENETRATOR CAN ALSO PENETRATE THE SEA FLOOR TO MORE THAN 100 FOOT DEPTH AND CONTAIN A GEOPHONE SENSOR AND SIGNAL PROCESSOR. THE DETECTION INFORMATION WOULD BE TRANSMITTED TO A SUBSURFACE FLOAT TO WHICH A SURFACE FLOAT CONTAINING A TRANSMITTER WOULD BE TETHERED TO PROVIDE SATELLITE READOUT OF ACOUSTIC DETECTION INFORMATION. DSI DEVELOPED ESSENTIALLY EVERY SUBSYSTEM ON DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. IN PHASE I, THE SYSTEM WILL BE DESIGNED AND A SUB-SCALE KINETIC ENERGY PENETRATOR WILL BE BUILT TO TEST THE DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND TO SERVE AS A DATA COLLECTION DEVICE FOR COLLECTING SEA FLOOR SOIL CONSTANT DATA. IN PHASE II, A FULL UP SEA FLOOR PENETRATOR WILL BE BUILT AND TESTED.